New council housing starts in London ‘highest level since the 1970s’
The number of new council housing starts in the capital is at the highest level since the 1970s, according to Mayor of London figures.
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Updates from the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry 12–22 July 2021
Valves installed in the Grenfell Tower to turn off the gas during an emergency could not be found during the 2017 fire and may have been built over during the refurbishment, the inquiry into the tragedy has heard.
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Give councils power to target land value to fund affordable housing, urges new report
Local authorities should be able to set a new levy on infrastructure at different rates depending on the value of land it is built on, according to a new report.
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Housing association ‘lacked empathy and care’ in serious racial harassment case
An independent report has found that a housing association “had lacked empathy and care” when dealing with a case that involved serious racial harassment.
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Updates from the Grenfell public inquiry 12-15 December 2021
Witnesses at the Grenfell Public Inquiry heard revelations about ‘grave concerns’ over the widespread use of flammable cladding, the type that was also used on Grenfell, fifteen months before the fatal fire.
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Lease-based provider ruled non-compliant by Regulator in latest judgements
A lease-based provider of specialist supported housing has been deemed non-compliant with the Governance and Financial Viability Standard by the Regulator of Social Housing.
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Government ‘should pause’ any extensions of Permitted Development Rights
The Government should pause any further extensions of permitted development rights (PDRs) for change of use to residential and conduct a review of the role of such PDRs in the wider planning system, says the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.
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CO2 emissions from new build homes ‘must be around 30% lower than current standards’
New homes and buildings in England will have to produce significantly less CO2 under new rules announced by the government as part of its response to the Future Buildings Standard consultation.
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1.3 million children ‘in need of social housing’
Two million children (1.96 million) in England – one in every five – are living in overcrowded, unaffordable or unsuitable homes, according to new findings by the National Housing Federation.
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Government to ‘end the need for EWS1 forms’ for blocks under 18m
Leaseholders in blocks of flats under 18 metres with cladding should be supported to buy, sell or re-mortgage their homes after the government agreed with major lenders to “pave the way to ending the need for EWS1 forms.”
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Parking and windows among latest Housing Ombudsman complaints cases
A group complaint about parking and a shared owner’s complaint about windows are among the latest additions to the Housing Ombudsman’s online casebook.
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Opinion: Before the flood
As we enjoy a sultry heat wave, the catastrophic flooding in Germany and the low countries seems a million miles away – but, rest assured, it will be happening here before too long.
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